The Death of Isaac - Genesis 35:28-29

Now the days of Isaac were one hundred and eighty years. And Isaac breathed his last and died, and was gathered to his people, an old man of ripe age; and his sons Esau and Jacob buried him.

Scripture records that Isaac lived 180 years and then simply breathed his last. We can return to our chronological timeline that we last updated in Genesis 31:41. But to relate the timeline to Isaac’s life we have to go back and add the timeline we developed when we were studying Genesis 25:26.

• 3331 Isaac, at age 60, becomes father to Esau and Jacob (Genesis 25:26)
• 3371 Esau at age 40 marries Judith and Basemath (Genesis 26:34)
• At least: 3391 Jacob and his family leave Laban’s home (Genesis 31:41)
• 3394 The death of Ishmael (based on his birth in 3257 and Genesis 25:17)
• 3451 The death of Isaac at age 180 (Genesis 35:28,29)

Can you imagine living to be 180 years old today? The world would have changed so drastically. I am not sure that my mind would be able to fathom it. Recently my wife and I returned from a trip to Kenya, one of the more advanced countries in Africa by some accounts, yet the difference between the lives of our new friends there and our lives here is incredible. Perhaps the difference is due to a century of cultural change or modernization. But can you image almost twice that and at today’s exponential rate of change? I for one am happy with our current life spans that we enjoy. When the time comes, I hope I go simply having “breathed my last”.

The text makes reference to Isaac being “an old man of ripe age”. You will remember that in the earlier years of mankind’s history and in the generations that closely followed that of Adam, men did live for several centuries, some most notably lived well into their tenth century. But after that God seemed to have reduced the normal lifespan to a much shorter period of time, estimated at about 120 years. Isaac then, under those terms, could well have been thought of to have lived to a “ripe age” and have been an “old man”. These days when one lives into his or her nineties, we consider that being a “ripe age” and one living for a century is considered very rare. It is interesting that we use the word ‘ripe’ to refer to an advanced age. I cannot help but think that funny. We usually talk of food or fruit being ‘ripe’ – that is the perfect time to enjoy them. They have the most to offer when they are perfectly ripe. I think we need to view our seniors in the same way. But at the same time, it is a sad fact that ripe fruit or food, not properly kept or enjoyed, very quickly decays into something that is no longer desirable. Yes, our seniors sometimes lose their minds or their physical abilities. But it is a known fact that they do so much more slowly if they are given the proper care, attention, and love they deserve. And the rest of us get to enjoy their flavor much longer.

The phrase “gathered to his people” used here for Isaac and meaning to have been buried with his family, relatives, or kin, was previously used in the case of his father Abraham (Genesis 25:8) and also his half-brother Ishmael (Genesis 25:17). The exact meaning is not clear. One can assume that indeed his remains were delegated to join the remains of those among his predecessors that had died before him. And one would assume that his soul would have joined the souls of others whom God would have blessed with eternal life before him. Death has a way of doing just that. It gathers us to our people – those we have loved or known before, depending on whether they and/or we were children of God or not. One way or another, we’ll be joining others.

Finally, I think it is important to note that the death of one often brings others together. We know that Jacob and Esau, Isaac’s sons, had had their differences. We know that even prior to Jacob arriving at Isaac’s place, the two brothers had met en route and worked these differences out. Yet, we have no record of their relations since that point in time. The quarrel they had may have been set aside, but there is no evidence that a strong brotherly friendship had begun and that their families were enjoying each other’s company. But here at their father’s death, we see Esau and Jacob working together as brothers to bury their beloved father. We continue to see that in our funerals today. People who have not seen each other for decades or spoken to each other for years, often set everything aside and unite, even momentarily, in order to deal with their loss. Can you imagine what could be accomplished in our families and circles of friends if somehow we had the ability to bring those people together prior to, and without, our death? Now, that is worth living for.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob Returns Home - Genesis 35:27

And Jacob came to his father Isaac at Mamre of Kiriath-arba (that is, Hebron), where Abraham and Isaac had sojourned.

Later this morning my son will be coming to his parents’ and what was formerly his grandparents’ home to visit. Today my second daughter, who lives with us, leaves with her family for a two-week vacation and already I am thinking about when they will be coming back home. On a regular basis, since the beginning of Canada’s involvement in the Afghanistan war, the bodies of men and women have been coming home in a ceremonial convoy along Highway 401, now renamed the ‘Highway of Heroes’. There is something about human nature, both in life and in death, which causes us to one way or another head for home.

While we are alive, we still have the ability to choose when we go or even if we go home. Once we have died, others make that decision for us. But no matter the case, home always seem to be a good place to head.

So Jacob, having traveled afar, having been blessed financially, having met with God and made part of the promise that God first gave his grandfather and later his father, having struggled with the sins of his sons, having lost and buried his beloved Rachel, now comes home to his father’s house. He had been for decades. His children had never seen their grandfather nor he them. There were no telephones, no emails, and no daily mail delivery. Word of each other could only travel by individuals who may be heading in the general direction of the loved you wanted to communicate with. We have no record of too much news traveling back and forth between Jacob and Isaac.

But none of that seems to have mattered. The only thing that counted in our story was that “Jacob came to his father Isaac”. You will remember Mamre, or Hebron, as the place from as far back in the text as Genesis 13:18 when Jacob’s grandfather, before he was even called Abraham, came and dwelt there. Now Jacob returns to that place, now called Hebron, to join his own father, Isaac.

As an aside, permit me to stop and give God glory for His wonderful blessing on my own life. As I reflect on this verse, I realize that when my son and my eldest daughter visit their parents, they are visiting the very place they used to come as toddlers and later as teenagers and even as married adults, to visit their grandfather (my father). For my own grandchildren, these visits connect them back to their great-grandfather. What a joy that is for my wife and I.

One needs truly to be a parent in order to fully comprehend the joy that Isaac must have felt as Jacob comes home after all these years. One needs truly to be a child who loved his/her parents deeply and to have lost them, to know what it means to remember ‘coming home’ to see them. These are indeed precious moments. I believe they are gifts from God to be treasured.

Are you waiting for someone to come home? Do you need to go home to someone else? The pundit who came up with the expression “There’s no place like home” had it right. God wants you home – with your spouse, with your family, in communion with your parents, and most of all, in a personal relationship with Him. It is never too late to come home and if you have done your part, you will find loving arms spread wide open there – be those of people who mean so much to you, or those of the Heavenly Father who gave His Son to die for your sins. Fall into those arms today.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

A Listing of Jacob’s Sons, Grouped By Their Mother - Genesis 35:22a-26

Now there were twelve sons of Jacob –
the sons of Leah: Reuben, Jacob’s first-born, then Simeon and Levi and Judah and Issachar and Zebulun;
the sons of Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin; and
the sons of Bilhah, Rachel’s maid: Dan and Naphtali; and
the sons of Zilpah, Leah’s maid: Gad and Asher.
These are the sons of Jacob who were born to him in Paddan-aram.

His grandfather Abraham had eight sons through three different women. His father Isaac had two sons and one wife. Jacob himself had twelve sons through two wives and two concubines, each being a maid of one of his two wives. Generally speaking, and especially judging by the number of sons he had, Jacob lived a blessed and prosperous life.

It is interesting to note that the text’s author takes special care to list all his sons in groups, in accordance with the women who bore them to Jacob. While we have not yet discovered it to this point in the text, we will see that these twelve sons play unique and significant roles in the history that unfolds in subsequent chapters of Genesis and other books of the Bible. Their groupings, based on their mother, are also crucial to the outcome of the history of God’s people, right up to this very day. This text, I believe, establishes for us a key foundation on which Israel’s history can continue.

In one sense, this is no different than following the story of some modern-day people of fame who have been married more than once and tracing the lives of their children. One would find that children of one spouse, as a group, often fair differently then those of another spouse. The differences are even more evident when the children are outside of marriage and a result of adultery. Even within marriage, where a person has been married more than once and has offspring from more than one spouse, the difference in the fairing of the children I believe is more profound when the subsequent marriages are a result of selfish desire or sin. Somehow, when God gets involved as He always is, the consequences are unavoidable, even if observed in generations to come.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

One of Israel’s Chilren Causes Trouble - Genesis 35:22a

And it came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it.

Jacob has just buried Rachel. Life was continuing either in Eder near Bethlehem or in Bethlehem itself. We do not know precisely how long he had to recover from some of his grief when another family tragedy struck him. His firstborn son, Reuben, borne to him by his first wife Leah, had intercourse with his father Jacob’s concubine, Bilhah. Bilhah had been Rachel’s servant and she had borne Jacob two sons, Dan and Naphtali, when Rachel was not able to conceive.

I cannot imagine what must have gone on in Jacob’s mind on receiving the news. More trouble. Perhaps he thought, “More disgrace”. His heart must have heart. Perhaps he was also angry. How could he bear it?

It is interesting to note that what we have here in the first part of this verse is all that the Bible ever says about this indiscretion. We do not know what Jacob said or did when he learned of it? We do not know how it affected the relationships of those involved. Jacob does speak of Reuben later in a most positive way and Reuben does seem to redeem himself in action that he subsequently took with regard to sparing the life of one of his brothers. But that being the case, that is that no further mention is made of the situation, we should stop to consider why the text even mentions this occurrence.

The First (Old) Testament is indeed, among many other things, the history of the Jewish People. That history and the whole Bible itself for that matter has always been written with several concepts in mind. First, the history is not a defense of the Jews, making every attempt to make them look good. Clearly “the good, the bad, and the ugly” of Israel’s history are all revealed here. This is history; it is not a political propaganda or a ‘justification account’ of what took place. Secondly, scripture always treats sin for what it is – sin. It does not overplay or glorify it as such and it is does not underplay it or try to cover it up. It exposes it at face value. Thirdly, it describes most accurately the natural nature of man and his natural inclination towards sin. Finally, by both what it says and often by what it leaves unsaid, it reflects the concept that the Almighty God can deal with our sins, and can work with us beyond that sin. It is important that we understand the Bible’s view of sin in that way in order to be able to comprehend why a verse like Genesis 35:22a is recorded in its pages.

For us, the implication is manifold. First, we need to recognize that sin exists and it happens. All of us are prone to it. Second, it does not need to be the end of the world. Thirdly, we must recognize it as sin, accept the consequences, and get on with both our life and more importantly with our relationship with God. The latter requires repentance, a true desire to, and a carrying out of a, change in behavior and practice and sometimes environment or circumstances so that sin does not easily reoccur.

We should regard the fact that scripture says no more about Reuben’s sin as a willingness of our Heavenly Father to take our sin and remember it no more!

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Life Goes On - Genesis 35:21

Then Israel journeyed on and pitched his tent beyond the tower of Eder.

There are many events that occur during the lifetime of an individual where for a fleeting moment he or she may think that life will never be the same again. For people my age, born in the 1940’s, these include the assassination of U.S. President John Kennedy, the Vietnam War, the various wars in the Middle East, segregation ruled illegal, Chernobyl, the catastrophic tsunami, and many, many more. And yes, in some ways, live did change considerably for those directly involved and only minutely for the rest of us. That would be true of any event one could identify, including those I left out or ones I never even heard of.

But in all cases, life does go on. So it was with Jacob after his beloved wife died en route to Bethlehem while giving birth to Benjamin. Life may well have changed for him considerably. Still, the only thing left for Israel (the new name God had given Jacob) to do was to continue on with his journey, taking his family and children with him.

The Bible tells us that his next tent stop was beyond the ‘tower of Eder’ or ‘Edar’ as the word is spelled in the King James, with Strong’s concordance preferring this spelling as well. The word itself meant ‘flock’ and this structure was understood to be a shepherd’s watchtower very near the city of Bethlehem. In fact, it was so close to Bethlehem, that some believe it was used to mean Bethlehem itself, at least in this verse.

Let us reflect on life’s losses for a moment. If you have faced a personal tragic loss in your life, you know your world and life has changed significantly for you. Time alone, contrary to what many say, is not the total answer. It helps, but the truth is that the memories of whom or what was lost will always leave a disappointing gap in your thoughts and life. But yet you know that life must go on. You know you have to keep on traveling towards your destination or goals. And you know that along the way you have to stop and pitch your tent somewhere.

It is my prayer that God continues to give you strength and stamina to continue your life’s journey. I pray He gives you a desire to keep on trusting and hoping that one day your losses will be fully replaced by His blessings and the glory of His Kingdom. I pray He grants you His wisdom to know where to pitch your tent next and that the stop is part of His plan for your life.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Rachel’s Death & Tomb - Genesis 35:19-20

So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem). And Jacob set up a pillar over her grave; that is the pillar of Rachel’s grave to this day.

Jacob’s beloved has died. There are some that would argue her death was in fulfillment of the curse Jacob himself had put on the one who stole the idols of Laban as we read in Genesis 31:32. I believe there is no connection. Others see her death as fulfillment of her own vow in Genesis 30:1, “Give me children, or else I die.” Again, I do not see the connection. She had children so the vow to die does not make sense. The physical cause of her death was indeed simply a complicated or difficult birth for that period of time. The Divine’s rationale for allowing her to die at this time is known only Him.

And the text tells us she was buried ‘en route’ to Bethlehem. There was no reason to take her back to Haran, her family’s land, even though strained relationships with Laban had been addressed. And certainly, Jacob had not yet established a home for his family where he was heading. It made sense to bury her on the way to Ephram.

This exact spot still exists today. This Jewish sacred site is located between Jerusalem and Bethlehem in the West Bank. However, the site also has great Christian and Muslim historical and religious significance. For the Jews, this is the third holiest site after the Temple Mount in Old Jerusalem and the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron. It has become a key stop on Jewish pilgrimages, especially females unable to give birth.

The structure on the site, a cube with a dome on top, was built around 1620 by the Turks under Ottoman. The famous British Jew, Sir Moses Montefiore and his wife, increased it in size in 1860. Israel gained control of the tomb in 1967 after the Six Day War. The actual tomb lays 460 metres from the city limits of Jerusalem, but Israel and the Palestinian leader at the time, Yasser Arafat, agreed to leave the tomb under Israeli “control” with a constant Jewish presence.

On December 1, 1995, the Palestinian Authority was granted full control of Bethlehem with the exception of the tomb enclave. To reach Rachel’s tomb, Jews had to do so in bulletproof vehicles under military supervision. In 1996, Israel built a wall around the site. The Palestinians retaliated by saying the tomb was on Islamic land and the domed structure was a mosque.

The tomb was attacked at the end of September, 1996 by Arabs who set structures on fire and for several years that followed, made the site a battle-spot between Israelis and Palestinians. This culminated at the end of the year 2000 when the tomb was under gunfire for forty-one days. In May 2001, fifty Jews were trapped inside the tomb when a firefight broke out between the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and the Palestinians. The IDF left the scene in March 2002. A few months later, September 2002, the Israeli government decided the tomb would be enclosed on the Israeli side of the West Bank barrier. Bulletproof buses now take tourists and Jews to the site daily. In February 2010, Israel announced that Rachel’s Tomb and the Cave of the Patriarchs would become part of the National Jewish Heritage sites rehabilitation plan against much protest from several countries, including the Turkish Prime Minister was said the tomb was “not and never will be a Jewish site, but an Islamic site.” The saga continues to this day.

But what else can we reap from this verse? First, if indeed the soul departs from the body at death, does it really matter where one is buried? I think not. People make special efforts to return the bodies of their loved ones ‘home’ for burial. There is something to be said for that. It often helps bring closure to the loss. But as long as we realize that it does nothing for the loved one.

Secondly, there is no mention of any public mourning for Rachel. We can assume that it took place in private. Certainly Jacob mourned for her in his own way. Mourning is indeed best undertaken as a personal private emotion. My father died over three and a half years ago and I still mourn his loss. I often wish he could see his family now, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren whom he had known before he died, enjoying his fruit trees and his property as we rebuilt and settled on it. I often wish that I could sit in the front yard on a special bench we put there and enjoy a game of backgammon with him, his favorite pastime, as we used to do. That is personal mourning. I cannot help but feel that exhibitions of loud and extended wailings at funerals do nothing to honor either the dead or those that remain, let alone God who is the giver and the taker of life.

You will remember that earlier we mentioned that Jacob was on a spiritual high (having met with God) just before his wife Rachel died during childbirth. God has a way of allowing that to happen even to those that enjoy his blessings; we cannot escape the downs that life often has to serve us. Again, it is where we go from that point on that matters. Earlier in this chapter, verse 14, Jacob set up a pillar in memory and thanks to God for his blessings and joys in life. Here he sets up a pillar of his sorrows. We need to remember both in our lives and to pass both on to our children.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Benjamin -- Genesis 35:18

And it came about as her soul was departing (for she died), that she named him Ben-oni but his father called him Benjamin.

Now it is important that we really capture this picture. The group is ‘en route’ to Ephrath or what we now call Bethlehem. Rachel is in great pain. The midwife is trying desperately to alleviate her fears and to make her rejoice in the fact that she is having a boy child. Then this text says that in the process of dying, at the time her soul was departing from her, with her last breath and as a final wish, she names her young child Ben-oni. We will return to the topic of the boy’s name momentarily.

From Genesis 1:1 up to this point, the end of life for all our Bible characters has been recorded as a simple death. The actual word ‘soul’ has been used ten times prior to this, but always in reference to life (e.g. Genesis 2:7) or with respect to staying alive (e.g. Genesis 12:13 and 19:20). But here in this current verse, the word ‘soul’ is used in conjunction with death. The text says it was her ‘soul’ that was departing. This is our biblical introduction to the idea of a soul and body being separated at death. While there is no indication here of exactly where the ‘soul’ departs to, we can at least assign its destination to the very nebulous ‘world of the spirits’. We will have to hold that thought for a long time until we get to some later scripture.

And as she was dying, Rachel names her newborn Ben-oni. The word is translated as meaning “the son of my sorrow.” Under normal circumstances, the birth of a newborn would bring rejoicing. In Rachel’s case, this should have been seen as a victory over Leah, her sister who was also married to her husband Jacob. The two had competed viciously with respect to bearing children for their husband. Is it possible that Rachel, now dying, recognizes the futility of the competition she has spent most of her life trying to win? Seeing that death lies immediately before her, she ignores the last victorious ‘battle’ (the most recent son for Jacob), and she names her son as she did, recognizing she has lost the ‘war’.

Our present verse then surprises us by telling us that Jacob changes the boy’s name to Benjamin. The original form of the Hebrew word was thought by some to mean “a son of days” or in Jacob’s case of “old age”. However, the present ending applied in Hebrew clearly defines it as “son of my right hand”, that is, someone of whom one is very fond of and considers critical to his/her well-being. The question still arises as to why Jacob shows apparent disregard for the name that his beloved Rachel gave the boy, especially when one considers that she gave her life in the process of bringing him to this world. The jury is still out on that, but some scholars suggest that the Jacob, because of his love for Rachel, could not bear to be constantly reminded (whenever he referred to the boy) of her sorrow in life that she so strongly wanted to express at the time of her death. Instead, he chose to see Benjamin as a real blessing and someone who would be his great solace in his old age.

One scholar has suggested that Jacob may have understood the special role God had for Benjamin. The reference to the “right side” as in “son of my right hand” is often associated with greater strength and honor, primarily because the majority of people are indeed right-handed. If one searches for the word ‘right’ in scriptures, one would find several references to this idea of strength, honor, and truth.

As we study this verse, we would do well to think about the memory of our life that we will leave behind. Was she primarily glad or sad? Was he at peace with others or basically angry all his life? Was she a person with hope or usually pessimistic? And so on. The choice is ours. There is still time to change if you do not like what you think you will be remembered for. And for memory’s sake, do not botch it up on your deathbed.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Rachel is Told Of Her Son Being Born -- Genesis 35:17

And it came about when she was in severe labor that the midwife said to her, “Do not fear, for now you have another son.”

It is not certain whether or not a midwife always traveled with Jacob’s family, but since they knew Rachel was pregnant they certainly had one available on this occasion. In both this and the previous verse, scripture indicates that Rachel’s labor in this pregnancy was ‘severe’. It was in this very adverse circumstance that the midwife tried to comfort her fear. Whether it was fear for her own life or for that of the child to be born is not clear.

The midwife, however, tries to allay that fear of Rachel’s by telling her that she indeed has “another son”. Was Rachel’s soul desire the survival of her newborn? Was it her fear that she may have let her beloved husband Jacob down if it were not a boy or if the child died? These are questions the Bible gives no answers to.

But what we can glean from this verse is most useful in our own times of desperation. Where there is fear, especially fear of death, there is also the presence of life. Rachel sensed a fear. Perhaps it was a fear of death – either hers or that of her baby. In either case, whether it would be her eternal life as a believer in Yahweh or whether it would be the earthly life of her newborn son, a new life would come of it.

When we ourselves are in the midst of the valleys we cross in life, we do not have the advantage of knowing what lies ahead. We cannot read ‘the next verse’ to see how things turn out as we studying Rachel’s story are able to. As a result, fear often sets in. But somehow we must learn to focus on the fact that our God is still with us, that there is an end in sight, and that ultimately, even death is indeed the beginning of life.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Rachel Labors in Childbirth -- Genesis 35:16

Then they journeyed from Bethel; and when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, Rachel began to give birth and she suffered severe labor.

Ephrath is not to be confused with Ephraim in the north. Ephrath is the ancient name for Bethlehem. The distance from Bethel almost directly south to Ephrath (Bethlehem) is about thirteen or so miles as the crow flies. One could imagine that with a pregnant woman in the traveling group, the trip could take several days.

We learn here in these verses that Rachel was pregnant again. During that trip from Bethel, Jacob’s wife Rachel began to deliver the child that she was carrying with great pain and agony. This must have been very hard not only on her and the baby, but also on Jacob. He must have been wondering why, right after God’s recent communication and blessing to him, he now had to watch the person he loved so dearly go through this great pain.

Many of us have gone through similar experiences. We had just been on a mountaintop high with God and then He seems to allow us to fall into a major personal valley in our lives. It is during those travels in the valley that we need to remember that the God of the mountaintop has not changed. He is also present in the valleys. He is also committed to seeing us through the valley. He wants to take us to the mountaintop once more, only this time as stronger and better individuals for having experienced yet another valley with Him.
javascript:void(0)
I believe the most critical response or attitude to have during life’s lowest and darkest experiences is to know that we are, as children of God, being carried in His arms as we move through the valley. We must focus our gaze on the One who holds us. We must be confident in our belief that a mountain that will be climbed, stands just ahead.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob Erects a Pillar at Bethel -- Genesis 35:14-15

And Jacob set up a pillar in the place where He had spoken with him, a pillar of stone, and he poured out a libation on it; he also poured oil on it. So Jacob named the place where God had spoken with him, Bethel.

This was another momentous occasion -- God coming down to speak with Jacob. There was no option but to build a memorial at the site. You will remember back in Genesis 28:18 after God had appeared to Jacob in a dream, Jacob had set up a pillar to God using the stone on which he had laid his head that night of the dream. Given his humble state, having left his father’s home in fear because of what he had done to his brother Esau, this simple pillar was acceptable. However, now after he had become so successful over the years, he now erected a more solid edifice that would have a more permanent nature.

We are told that he also poured some oil and some form of a drink on it in memory of his communication with God there. He did want this place to become known as the ‘house of God’ and thus he called it ‘Bethel’.

Has God spoken with you lately? Do you know where it was? Have you somehow made a memorial there to commemorate that occasion? We need to. We need to highlight for ourselves, and for our children, these significant times in our lives. So that they and the world might now that the Lord Almighty is indeed our God.
demonstrate His ongoing love for me.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Can An Omnipresent God Move Around? -- Genesis 35:13

Then God went up from him in the place where He had spoken with him.

In Genesis 35:9 we read that God simply appeared to Jacob. Here in this segment of the text we gain a further understanding as how He may have done that. When God was finished meeting with Jacob, the scriptures say (35:13) He “went up from him (Jacob)”. One can assume, but never definitively, therefore, that God ‘had come down to meet with Jacob’ in the first place. Once again, the modern western mind has a dilemma. We have been taught that God is everywhere. We say He is omnipresent. If that is true, then why did He likely come down to meet with Jacob, and more certainly, why did He go “up form him”, from the place where He had spoken with Jacob?

My learning during a recent trip to Israel a month ago for a ‘rabbinical model’ pilgrimage helped me put it into perspective. The Jewish mind would have no problem with these two concepts. God is both omnipresent (from a divine perspective) and He is present in specific places and times (from a human author’s perspective). Both ideas can coexist with God.


I believe there is much to be gained by the believer with such an arrangement. Our almighty God is indeed everywhere at the same time. Understanding that, I receive the comfort and the peace of knowing He is fully in control and in charge of all events going on in the universe. He is able to see it all simultaneously and act accordingly as He deems appropriate. While my limited human capacity can fret about so much, His infinite authority is still in control of all. He is still on the throne and His plan for mankind is being fulfilled. I am thankful for that and realize it could not be any other way.

Yet this almighty God, in His role as a loving Holy Father, cares enough to come down and meet with one of His children. He cares enough to come meet with you and me, right where we are, in order to comfort us, assure us of His promises, share with us His plans for our lives, meet our very desperate needs, and so on. I am also very thankful for that. As a needy child, I could think of no better way for my Father to demonstrate His ongoing love for me.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Blesses Jacob -- Genesis 35:11-12

God also said to him, “I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you. And the land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, And I will give the land to your descendents after you.”

As I study this section today, Israel is once again the target of global criticism for its military and political stance with respect to the Palestinians, both in the Gaza strip and the West Bank. And yet, when I read the text, I see clearly that the descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob have been given the ‘promised land’ as theirs. If all the parties involved had the same worldview with respect to the Word of God, there would be no dispute whatsoever with respect to the Jews’ right to all of present-day Israel; there would be no middle-east crisis that involved Israel. Unfortunately, we are not all on the same page.

God had indeed given the ‘promised’ land to Jacob’s descendents. And over thousands of years, perhaps because of their rebellion against God, various empires were allowed to take it away from them. The Jews spread all over the world. As time passed, they yearned for a land they could once again call their own. In 1948, God allowed them to re-establish the Promised Land as their very own, a land politically recognized by almost the entire world, as the state of Israel. There the truly ‘chosen people’ are indeed recognizing God as the Almighty, although many have not accepted His Son Jesus as their Messiah yet. God is both protecting and blessing them. They are being fruitful and multiplying just as this verse promised.

The phrase “A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, And kings shall come forth from you” is a reference, going back in history, to the fact that Jacob’s descendents will consist of all the tribes of his people, the Israelites, each with their leaders. If we accept that this verse is written in such a way that the events described therein were to occur in a chronological order, then we can establish that it will be after all of these tribes are formed that the ‘land’ would be given to Jacob’s descendents. As we study the early books of the Bible, we will see exactly that. What is occurring today in the modern Middle East is a battle with respect to that ‘ownership’ promise God had made back in the days of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

In these verses and the one before (verse 10), God is simply reminding Jacob of a few things, beginning with the revised name He had given him earlier. Jacob, as a man close to God, knew all that God had to say to him. He needed nothing new, only to be reminded of what in fact God has already said, promised, done, and expects. God does that with us periodically. That is one reason why we today have His Word. It is a reminder of what He has already said, promised, done, and expects. May we gladly receive these reminders from a loving God, and an Almighty Father.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Reconfirms Jacob’s New Name -- Genesis 35:10

And God said to him, “Your name is Jacob; You shall no longer be called Jacob, But Israel shall be your name.” Thus He called him Israel.

When God appeared again to Jacob to bless him, we note He first wanted to reconfirm a new name He had given to Jacob earlier.

God had also given a new name to his grandfather. In Genesis 11:26 we simply read that Terah begat Abram. But in Genesis 17:5 God changed Abram’s name to Abraham.

In the case of Isaac, Jacob’s father, God had selected the name Isaac before he was even born as we read in Genesis 17:19. When we get to Jacob, we read in Genesis 25:26 that his parents first named him Jacob, but soon thereafter in Genesis 32:28, when Jacob ‘strove’ with God, God changed his name to Israel. What is interesting is that from Genesis 34:7 to this present verse, Genesis 35:10, he continues to be referred to as Jacob until God once again reiterates the name He has given him, that is, Israel. At that point, Scripture refers to him sometimes as Jacob and sometimes as Israel. Later, in Genesis 46:2, we will see that God Himself calls him “Jacob, Jacob” in his dreams. And right up to today, both Jews and Christians refer to him as Jacob.

God seems to have wanted to be the name giver to these three patriarchs of ‘His people’. While the Christian mind may find it problematic that God the name-giver, at least in Jacob’s case, did not appear to stick to the name He Himself gave Jacob, the Hebrew mind has no problem. There is no contradiction in the fact that God may have given Jacob a new name from a divine perspective and at the same time the human Moses may have recorded or used another name when referring to him. Thus, both Jacob and Israel are used interchangeably.

What is important for us is to note two things: First, that people who are close to God and are to be used mightily by God are the ones that may get a new name. Secondly, that whether or not God gives us a new name is not the issue, but rather that when He gives us a new purpose, a new task, a new responsibility to carry out on His behalf, we be willing and ready to do so. Before we start looking for a new name, perhaps we need to focus on identifying what God has in store for us to do.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Appears Again to Jacob -- Genesis 35:9

Then God appeared to Jacob again when he came from Padan-aram, and He blessed him.

Jacob had agreed to return to the land of his father. He cleansed his household of idols that had crept in. He fulfilled his responsibility to bury his mother’s nurse in her old age. And the very next thing the text says is “Then” God appeared to Jacob again, and the verse ends with “and He blessed him”.

This is such a simple idea. When we have obeyed Him, God appears and He blesses. If we’re in fellowship with Him, His appearances are accompanied by blessings. If we’re out of fellowship, He may come to call us to Himself, redirect us, correct us, or sometimes even warn us.

Are you still in your own “Padan-aram” and out of fellowship with God? Are you letting things slide in your own life as well as in the life of your household? Is prayer at family meals now optional? Is going to church discretionary? Is reading your Bible and praying elective duties? If so, evidence of your fellowship with God is waning. And one thing I can assure you, God has not changed or moved. Which only leaves one other possibility – you have. He’s waiting to appear to you and bless you. May you seek Him anew today.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Rebekah’s Nurse Buried -- Genesis 35:8

Now Deborah, Rebekah’s nurse died, and she was buried below Bethel under the oak; it was named Allon-bacuth.

It is the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter Sunday, 2010. I asked God to show me what He wanted us to consider in this particular verse as we journey through Scripture. The nurse of Jacob’s beloved mother, Rebekah, had died. You will remember that Rebekah had brought some of her maids with her when she went with Abraham’s servant to meet and marry Isaac (Genesis 24:61). Deborah was most likely one of those maids. Now here we are in chapter 35, in the middle of the story of Jacob, Rebekah’s son, and finding him responsible for burying Deborah. How did all this come about?

There is no mention in the Bible of Rebekah’s death. Her husband Isaac’s death is recorded later on in this chapter. The deaths of Abraham’s wife Sarah and Jacob’s wife Rachel are recorded, but not that of Isaac’s wife Rebekah. We, of course, do not know the reason for that. It is possible that it was intentional. Surely the author of Genesis was aware of the parallels in the stories he was telling -- Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, Jacob and Rachel. How could he otherwise have missed telling us about Rebekah’s death? But why it was intentional, we do not know. Some surmise that Sarah and Rachel had repented of their sins against God, but Rebekah had not. Perhaps so.

We are left with connecting the dots. What I propose here is, however, only our conjecture and not specifically stated in the text. At some point Rebekah before this verse took place, while Jacob was gone from home (fleeing Esau), Rebekah his mother must have died. Jacob never saw his mother again unfortunately. Sadly, their joint bit of deception connived initially by his mother ended up depriving her of ever seeing her son whom she loved so much again. It also deprived him of seeing his mother again for we assume she died while Jacob was in Haran. Somehow, possibly because of the fact that Leah and Rachel were from Laban’s family as was Rebekah and from whence Deborah had come, the beloved nurse of Rebekah went, at Jacob’s invitation, to be with him and his household when her mistress died. And thus Jacob saw to it that Deborah, a member of his household now, was properly buried. It was his responsibility. Sometimes responsibilities like that fall upon us and clearly we are to accept them with grace.

It is appropriate that we also point out some believe that because he was now in Canaan, while living at Shechem, he often visited his father Isaac’s house, nearby in Hebron. That is he may have seen his father Isaac prior to when the text specifically says he did later in chapter 35. Again, that is only speculation but it may explain how it was that Deborah came to live with his household.

The text does say though that Jacob buried this old servant woman of the household, and his mother’s maid, “below Bethel under the oak”. The word ‘below’ is likely intended to depict a physical direction meaning underneath the land of Bethel and in particularly by the oak which he now named “Allonbacuth” or ‘oak of weeping’. The name implies that Deborah had become a beloved person in Jacob’s household, especially among the younger women likely, and thus her death brought about great sorrow and sadness. At my age, I have participated in the burials of many older folks, my parents among them, but also those that have been dear to the family in various ways. It is at the point of burial that one reflects seriously on the life and the impact of the individual whose earthly journey is now complete, regardless of its length.

Another burial is prime in our minds at this Easter season. It is the burial of Jesus. God had seen to it that He His Only Begotten Son was well taken care with respect to his burial. Those that were close to Him wept and lamented for Him. Even though they were afraid of what His death may have meant or would mean for them, they paid Him the great respect that was expected when one lost a loved One. In that respect, Jesus’ burial was similar to those of the great patriarchs of Israel, and of Deborah’s, and even of those that you and I may provide for our loved ones.

But Jesus was God’s Son and Jesus’ burial was not the highlight of the event – His resurrection was! God saw to it that Jesus was resurrected to conquer death for all mankind. His death paid the penalty for all of mankind’s sins. His burial and descent into what is referred to elsewhere in Scripture as the “lower parts of the earth” or to where the “spirits” were “in prison” assures us that we no longer have to make that trip for ourselves. But it is His Resurrection that indeed means death is not the end and burial is not the final resting place. By accepting His love, His life, His gift in His death in our place, everyone of us can live forever. May it be so with you.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob Gives Thanks -- Genesis 35:7

And he built an altar there, and called the place El-bethel, because there God had revealed Himself to him, when he fled from his brother.

You will remember in Genesis 35:1 when God told Jacob to go to Bethel, He also told him to make an altar there to Him. Jacob, now safely in Bethel with his household, follows through on this additional request from God. He builds an altar to the Lord and he calls the place where he built the altar, El-bethel. The actual word can be translated as the ‘God of Bethel’ or when one also translates the word Bethel itself, El-bethel literally means ‘the God of the House of God’.

What is the implication for us today, especially when so many of us may feel we have reason to be dissatisfied with the church? In our text we read that Jacob names this place after ‘the God of the House of God’ because that is where God revealed Himself to Jacob in the time of his greatest need. While God’s omnipotence and His omnipresence allows Him to reveal Himself to anyone, anytime, and anywhere, Jacob somehow captured the desire of God in wanting to be best revealed to us in ‘His own house’ or Bethel.

We need to grasp that same understanding. God may reveal Himself to us anywhere, but like those created in His image that rule as men, He rejoices in inviting us to His House/Castle in order to reach out to us and reveal His plans for us. Do we want the full blessing of God on our lives? If so, I believe we cannot have them while we remain in a state of broken fellowship with our church, our local House of God.

If you are in such a circumstance, please seek what God (not you) would want you to do with respect to this matter. Is it time for you to built an altar to God in your El-Bethel?

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob’s Household Reaches Bethel -- Genesis 35:6

So Jacob came to Luz (that is, Bethel), which is in the land of Canaan, he and all the people who were with him.

Recently, some of my contacts on social media were discussing what they might do in the event that the United States goes through its darkest hours economically and politically, something which by the way I believe is highly likely in the near future. I was able to point out that indeed, unlike the old Roman god of mythology Mercury who was dubbed ‘the god of safe passage’, our God is indeed the ‘real stuff’. He is the God of Safe Passage. He proved it for Abraham, Isaac, and now in this passage, Jacob. I know He will see you and me safely ‘home’ and ‘back to Him’.

Jacob arrived in Bethel where God wanted him to be for his own good. And not only did He see to it that Jacob made it, but He saw to it that all the people who were with him did also.

Where does God want you and I today? In the mid of all this confusion in the world, all this fear and uncertainty, where does He want you? I believe that if we really put all our own preferences and fears aside, we would have to admit He has already told us, especially if we have asked Him. What remains is for us to do what Jacob did in the earlier verses we studied. Realize he wasn’t where God wanted him. Make the necessary changes in himself. Help his family and household or business to make the required changes. Then go where, or do what, God wanted him to. In exchange, God gave him and his household safe passage through enemy territory and a safe arrival at Bethel. He can and wants to do that for you and me, in our lives, right now. Is God speaking to you? If so, follow Jacob’s example, and just do it!

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

God Provides Jacob Safe Passage Home -- Genesis 35:5

As they journeyed, there was a great terror upon the cities which were around them, and they did not pursue the sons of Jacob.

God tells Jacob to take his family home to Bethel and symbolically ‘back to God’. As Jacob obeys and travels on his way, he has to travel near some cities. By now, all of them had likely heard of what the Israelites had done to the Shechemites. And any one of them could have easily attacked the Israelites in retaliation or out of fear that they may be next to be wiped out by them. The Israelites were fewer in number and a possible surprise attack from one or more of these cities could have been devastating to Jacob’s family. We also have no ready evidence (that is, evidence found within this text) as to whether or not these cities were normally the warring type. Possibly they commonly attacked those traveling by, looting them, or taking them into captivity.

But they did not. In fact, they were struck with a great fear of the Israelites as they passed by or near their lands. They did not pursue them in any way and were glad to see their backs.

As I write this, I am in the middle of reading Athol Dickson’s The Gospel According to Moses: What my Jewish friends taught me about Jesus, Brazos Press, Grand Rapids, 2003. In it, Dickson explains one key Jewish approach to learning as being the encouraging of Torah students to ask God some really difficult questions. He shows us how God actually welcomes and desires that we do so because of His complete love for us. It is a book well worth reading for many reasons. It has changed my view on how to deal with some of man’s most searching questions, especially those dealing with the many paradoxes we find riddled throughout Scripture (e.g. up to this point in Scripture, the paradox of fertility – He commands Adam and Eve to be fruitful and multiply, yet He chooses three barren women through which to bring about His covenant with Abraham to fruition, namely Sarah, Rebekah, and Rachel; the paradox of obedience – God hated Cain’s murder of Abel but told Abraham to kill his son as a sacrifice; the paradox of the promise – He tells Abraham He will give him the land of Canaan but Abraham had to pay gold for a burial spot therein for his wife Sarah and later the Israelites paid for the land with their lives; and so on).

Well, with that kind of thinking in mind, let me ask a difficult question, in my faith, for as Athol Dickson suggests, it does indeed take “more faith to ask than it does to fear the asking”. Here’s my question: Is it possible that one of the reasons God allowed (I am pretty sure He did not ordain) Jacob’s sons to murder the Shechemites was in order that Jacob’s family might have ‘safe passage’ as they headed ‘home’? And if so, how could God do that?

I do not know the answers to those questions. But I do not feel any less ‘faithful’ or ‘believing’ because I asked them. I also believe that it is possible that God may answer them later in His word or as I delve deeper into what He has already said. But it is also possible that He may not answer them now or later, because He wants me, as Dickson also postulates, to learn something else by my continuing to ask them repeatedly, or perhaps in a different manner. Suffice it to say, God knows my questions and He has the answers.

In the meantime, from our text here, I can rejoice that God does indeed arrange circumstances to protect us. Sometimes that happens without us knowing it, but when we are made aware of it, it behooves us to give Him the praise and the glory. Has God arranged circumstances to protect you lately?

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob’s Household Responds To His Leadership -- Genesis 35:4

So they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods which they had, and the rings which were in their ears; and Jacob hid them under the oak which was near Shechem.

Notice once again the Bible does not record any challenge to Jacob’s leadership from his family. All we read is their immediate response to his instructions. That must have been a joy, a big relief, for Jacob.

Can you imagine the scene? Foreign idol gods were being brought from all over the household. But the text also mentions they were giving up their earrings. Why earrings? In the East, there is a pagan connection to earrings for many wore them as charms or in honor of their pagan gods and at the very least, earrings were seen as objects of superstition. These they seem to have given up willingly on their own, perhaps being convicted in their hearts that they should. They wanted their “going home to God” to be as complete as possible. In hindsight, we can well wonder whether indeed this scene could have occurred much earlier in the life of Jacob, had he taken the lead as he now was doing. They could have gone “back home to God” sooner and saved themselves much disgrace and troubles.

Finally, the verse tells us that Jacob took all these things and hid them under a particular oak tree. Why not destroy them, Jacob? There is a possibility that Jacob hid these things in a place that would be unknown to those in his household that had given them up. He wanted not only to help separate his household from these things, but also to ensure that there was little opportunity for them to return to them. The majestic oak tree in the area was indeed a respected landmark. Perhaps it was the same tree that his grandfather patriarch Abram had originally pitched his tent (Genesis 12:8; 13:3). There, in what was deemed to almost be sacred ground, he hid the rejected objects believing no one would dare disturb the ground to uncover them.

We don’t know why he did not destroy them. Perhaps given the circumstances, it was the wisest thing to do. Sometimes, we just need to make it difficult, not impossible, for people to return to their idolatry if they so choose. God does not want anyone to be forced into a “no choice” situation. He wants us to “come back home to Him” willingly and voluntarily, knowing that we must continuously rely on Him to keep us from going back to “disturb the ground” to pick up the idols we once adored.

Evil and pagan worship does not disappear from the face of the earth just because we have come home to God. It still exists. Our task is to be walking continuously with God away from it.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob Shows Family Leadership Again -- Genesis 35:2-3

So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods which are among you, and purify yourselves, and change your garments; and let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make an altar there to God, who answered me in the day of my distress, and has been with me wherever I have gone.”

In the previous verse, God spoke to Jacob and told him to go and stay in Bethel. The Bible has no record of Jacob’s verbal response to God. Instead, we observe a man who has been given his instructions and begins to carry them out. Either as one large group, or on several occasions of smaller numbers being present, Jacob in turn instructs his family and household to get ready to move. What he says is most revealing of what had been going on.

Over a period of time, we can assume many in Jacob’s family had started to incorporate foreign gods in their beliefs. They had become impure in their worship. Although Jacob was afraid for his life now, he and his household had gone through many years of prosperity up to this point. It is in these boom times that we all have a tendency to let our relationship with God sag, as other things take its place. We are attracted to new idols. That had happened to Jacob’s household and to a certain extent to him. Now he takes charge once more as head of the home and instructs them all to “return to God, we’re going home.” We see here the ever-constant need for senior male leadership in a family. But we also see the need for male role modeling. It was after Jacob got right with God, that he could instruct his family to do so. The very fact of ‘silence’ between verse one of this chapter when God spoke and verse two when Jacob spoke to his household, suggests he recognized that he himself needed to get ‘back to God’. With that decided in his own heart, he could now lead his household in following him.

First, the foreign gods had to go. Secondly, he called for their purification. The Hebrew word used here is taher and its meaning is threefold. It refers to being clean in a physical sense, as in free from disease, but it also means to be clean in a ceremonial sense that is to present oneself for purification through a ceremony. Finally, it has the meaning of being morally clean. This is purity of both the heart and mind. God wants us to demonstrate our purity not just through ceremonies and rites, but by pursuing righteousness and justice. And not only does He expect the fathers of households to live that way, but just as importantly, he expects us to “command our children and our households” to do so. In Genesis 18:19 when He describes Abraham, He says, “I have chosen him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing righteousness and justice; in order that the Lord may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him.”

Some of Jacob’s children had foreign gods because, as you will remember, their mother Rachel had clung to the household gods of her father Laban, and had stolen them from him the night of her escape with Jacob’s family. Like parent, like children. We can teach what is right with our mouths, but our actual behavior trumps our speech lessons when it comes to our children’s imitating us. Other of Jacob’s children may well have had the gods of the Shechemites that they had taken in plunder after Leah’s sons had murdered all the men. Also, it is very likely that some of Jacob’s servants he brought with him or picked up in his travels were worshipping foreign gods. While our English translations refer to “foreign gods” the more direct Hebrew translation would be “gods of the stranger” or “gods of foreign nations”. Perhaps for the sake of prosperity, Jacob had allowed his servants and others to worship these gods, turning a blind eye in order to avoid conflict or losing them, not thinking of his responsibility to keep his household and business pure.

Continuing in the theme of purity and becoming clean, Jacob ordered his household to wash themselves and then change their garments. In particular, Leah’s sons, Simeon and Levi may well have had blood on their hands from the slaughter of the Shechemites (therefore their need to wash) and even on their clothes (thus the need to change their garments). You cannot go to meet with God without preparation of body and heart. Cleaning one’s clothes without one’s heart is not sufficient.

Now, Jacob tells his people that he has resolved to follow God’s instructions, given to him by God Himself. And he underlines the fact that this is indeed the God that was there for him during the times of his distress, and the God that has gone with him wherever he went.

I believe that is the lesson for us today as we study these two verses. Are we prepared to say to ourselves, our family, our business, “I will follow the instructions of the God who spoke to me. I will ‘go home’ where He is and live there. And I will take you with me. For God has always been there for me, for us, when we were in distress. He has followed us wherever we chose to go. Now we will return to where He wants us.”? That is leadership. That is true role modeling. That is being a true follower of God.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Once Again, God Directs Jacob -- Genesis 35:1

Then God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel, and live there; and make an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.”

Old, fearful for his life and that of his family because of his sons’ massacre of the Shechemites, and still a wanderer, Jacob once more hears the voice of God. Even at our lowest moments in our lives, God is still there and He very much wants to communicate with us.

And what does God tell him, but the very same thing He told him before. “Go to Bethel and live there – don’t just visit this time.” Way back in Genesis 31:13 God basically said to Jacob, “I am the God of Bethel. Come back to the place of your family. I am the God that met you there in Bethel". But as we know, Jacob did not follow instructions very well, settling instead in Shechem, and ultimately being party to the murderous revenge that his sons took on the Shechemites who had raped his daughter Dinah and brought shame to his own family.

Yet God was willing to give him one more chance to listen. God always gives us more chances to listen to Him than we deserve. But this time, in Jacob’s case, the instructions are very specific – “live at Bethel” and “worship Me there”. God wanted Jacob back where he belonged, no longer to be a wanderer. He wanted him to go back to the place from whence he came and where both his family and heart were. And to the place God Himself, in Genesis 31:13, described as a place that “He was the God of”. He wanted Jacob back to the place where Jacob had made a vow to Him (Genesis 28:19-21). That’s were God wants all of us. He wants us back at the point where we made our “vows” to Him. No matter how far we have roamed; no matter how much we have sinned; no matter how much we may have ignored Him in recent times – God wants us back to the point where we vowed that God would indeed be “our God”.

God tells Jacob that He was the same God that appeared to him when he was fleeing from the wrath of his brother Esau. He had been with him all along and now it was time to “head home” to where, without a shadow of a doubt, the point in Jacob’s life (and symbolically in ours) where we can once again say, and this time mean it, that “because of what the Lord has done for me, He will be my God.”

Have you forgotten that point in your saga when you would have given anything to see God perform a miracle in your life? The miracle was performed; you are still alive. It may not have been performed the way you would have planned, but God saw you through it. Or do you think you made it on your own? May we learn from God’s love and desire for Jacob. May we believe that this same love and desire is extended to each of us no matter what our circumstances and no matter how we may have failed Him, others, or ourselves. May we realize that not only does He want us ‘home’ but that ‘home’ is indeed where we need to be.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob’s Sons Respond -- Genesis 34:31

But they said, “Should he treat our sister as a harlot?”

My wife and I have the joy of living with one of our daughters, her husband, and three of our five young grandchildren. So, I very often get a ring-side seat when it comes to children taking action in what we as a adults would term ‘revenge’. In fact, children themselves explain it as “I’m just paying her/him back”. One of the siblings may have torn a page out of someone else’s coloring book, or messed up the arrangement of toy parts that had been set up in one’s room, or took something good off of someone else’s plate when theirs was finished, and so on. The victimized child then strikes back and immediately one of the adults questions the behavior. The retaliating child responds with, “while she/he did so and so and I was just punishing her/him.”

That is exactly what Jacob’s sons, Dinah’s brothers, were saying when their father questioned them on the savage murder of all the Shechemites. I think if we were honest, we would have to admit that revenge is built into our human, post-fall, sinful nature.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

The trait starts to exhibit itself in each of us at a very young age. As we grow older we let it impact our family relationships and later, as appropriate, we take it into the boardrooms of our workplaces as we compete greedily for market share and industry rankings. Some get involved in politics and government, and find themselves in international conflicts. When wars break out, we often hear, after an attack, be it a regular military ambush or an act of terrorism, that the other nation “is now expected to retaliate”.

But wait, it is not supposed to be like that at all. Not when we’re four, or fourteen, or forty, or Presidents of companies or nations. Elsewhere in scripture, God has clearly given us to understand that revenge is His. Yet, this is one of the most difficult lessons for mankind to understand, accept, and comply with.

Let me challenge you today as you face your world of relationships. Let me challenge you as you experience unfairness in your family, your workplace, your school, your community, and your nation. Let me challenge you as you deal with the loss of a loved one caused by a drunk driver, a mad gunman, or even an immoral war. Let me challenge you as you live your life disabled because of a mistake made in the hospital, with a medication you were prescribed, an abusive relative, or because someone inflicted you with AIDS. Your nature dictates ‘revenge’ but realize that originally God created you to be governed by your ‘spirit’ and it begs for you to ‘let it go’. Your spirit is crying out to you to ‘let it go for good’ so that you can start living life again with joy and purpose. It knows you and I need to remember that our God, without Whom we could not breathe, has said, “Vengeance is mine; I will repay.” May we all live our lives like that.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

Jacob’s Concern For His Own Welfare -- Genesis 34:27-30

Then Jacob said to Simeon and Levi, “You have brought trouble on me, by making me odious among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites; and my men being few in number, they will gather together against me and attack me and I shall be destroyed, I and my household.”

Please understand the context. Two of Jacob’s sons have just murdered every adult male in the city of Shechem in a clearly unfair attack. Likely all of his sons were involved in the looting of the city, taking for themselves all the livestock, all the earthly goods, and even the children and wives, of the Shechemites. As an engaged reader, I could hardly wait to hear what Jacob, to whom God had re-iterated His Covenant to make him a great nation, had to say about it all. And true to form, Jacob does not disappoint.

Surprisingly, his concern was all about himself. His sons’ actions were not criticized for what they were – sinful acts of violence based on revenge and personal gain, and perhaps even a twisted sense of cruelty. Instead, he lamented the fact that what they did caused him ‘trouble’. Their actions made him detestable among all the peoples of the land.

And to boot, Jacob was smart enough to know that if all the rulers of the neighboring cities united and decided to attack him and his family, his resources could not withstand the military offensive they would launch against him. Worse still was the fact, not that he would be attacked and defeated by the enemies’ much stronger and larger units, but that indeed he and his household would be destroyed. He would come to ruin.

Here is a man hand-picked by God, spoken to directly by Him, ensured of a legacy and a covenant underwritten by the Creator of the Universe, and with previous experience in God’s saving power and strength. And yet amidst certain adversity, although through no direct action of his own, he falls to pieces worrying about his ruin and destruction.

What does God need to do before man takes Him at His word? What does He have to do before you and I take Him at His word? In Focus on the Family’s “The Truth Project”, Dr. Del Tackett asks us a very piercing question. It is this: “Do you really believe that what you believe is really real?” I dare say that while our motions and often our emotions, especially during our singing of psalms and praises at our worship service, would indicate that there is nothing our God cannot do and that He knows what is the very best for us, our actual behavior during the rest of the week, and especially when we face great difficulty, would dictate that we answer Prof. Tackett’s question in the negative. “No, we do not.”

As you study this verse today, I challenge you to determine a personal means by which you can turn your answer to Del’s question into a positive one. I do not know exactly what that entails for you. I can only share with you what it meant for me. While I only recently heard the question asked by “The Truth Project” phrased the way it has been in that program, I dealt with a very similar question many years ago. My training and my personality had taught me to be ‘proactive’ in my approach to life rather than ‘reactive’ whenever possible. So, during my thirties I decided to make a very conscious decision, more as a defensive (proactive) course of action than anything else – just in case I ever needed to rely on that decision. And what was that? That God was exactly Who He claimed to be, and that any limitation in His demonstrated power on my life, or evidence of His grace or blessing on me, was or would be a direct result of my lack of faith or my own sin, and not for any lack of His love for me or any weakness in His own all-powerfulness.

Since then that decision has served me so well. Coupled with my own discipline to adhere to decisions I make about God and my faith, especially those that parallel Scripture, that very decision has been both a lifesaver and ultimately the means by which my life was freed up to pursue what God had in store for me. Let me share with you just two significant times when that became very clear to me.

The first is an occasion I do not talk about very often. It was a very dark time in my life. The situation had the potential of thrusting me in to total and utter ruin. Remember I said I was proactive, and even disciplined. I did not say I was always wise, or especially careful in my life. As a result I managed to get involved in a situation that was not what God wanted for me, no matter how much I tried to convince Him it was. Ultimately, because of Who He Is and because of how much He loved me, God arranged for me to be catapulted out of it against my own volition. My free will got me into the mess, but God’s Free Love pulled me out of it. But not without discipline, not without being set aside from Christian ministry for several years, not without heartaches, and what have you. Yet, when I realized that it was He who took charge, I yielded totally to His ‘tough love’ for me. In that experience, I also found out that being proactive and disciplined in an area of life that is not wise or appropriate for a Christian to be in, can indeed be humbling, if not devastating.

The second experience was in August 2008 when I was first diagnosed with colon cancer. That same day, I drew on my decision made nearly thirty years earlier, that my God was indeed the God of the Universe and the same God that was with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. If God wanted to allow me to live, He would. If He wanted my life over, that would be fine with me. I did what I believed Scripture instructs us to do in those circumstances. I prayed and I asked the elders of my church to anoint me with oil. I started taking care of my God-given body by exercising regularly and eating healthier. And I left the rest to God. He didn’t let me down.

God had proven Himself to me over and over in my life during my teens and as a young husband and father. He no longer had to do that. But unless I had made that solid decision that I did in my thirties – that beyond a shadow of a doubt, even when the Enemy tries to get us to doubt, the decision that God is Who He is and that “I really believe what I believe is really real”, I would never have been able to make it through my darkest days and/or my bout with cancer. I would encourage you to consider, proactively, making such a decision, and then never forgetting you did make it. It is then that life takes on a whole new perspective, one with assurance, confidence, patience, joy and total reliance on the only One Who can provide all of that.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.

The Plan Collapses Into Utter Ruin Genesis 34:25-29

Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male. And they killed Hamor and his son Shechem with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah from Shechem’s house, and went forth. Jacob’s sons came upon the slain and looted the city, because they had defiled their sister. They took their flocks and their herds an their donkeys, and that which was in the city and that which was in the field; and they captured and looted all their wealth and all their little ones and their wives, even all that was in the houses.

Talk about an unfair massacre, this one would rank right up there. Soon after all these adults got circumcised, when their pain was at its height, along come Dinah’s two brothers, Simeon and Levi, and kill every male. There was no chance to offer more in exchange for their lives, no opportunity to beg for mercy.

We note that Jacob’s other sons were not identified here as having taken part in this mass murder. It was, according to the commentator Robert Jamieson, the “full brothers, on whom the protection of the daughters devolves--they are the guardians of a sister's welfare and the avengers of her wrongs.” He goes on to suggest that it is possible “the two fathers would have probably brought about an amicable arrangement of the affair.”

It appears that Dinah went to live with Shechem after he and his father had met with Jacob and his sons. This must have been part of the arrangement. Whether or not Dinah knew of what Simeon and Levi had been planning, we do not know. She may have been an accomplice from the inside or she too may have been taken by surprise as to what ensued. What is interesting though is that the brothers were prepared to leave Dinah with those that had done this awful thing to Israel (raping Dinah) long enough to accomplish their scheme against the Shechemites. It makes one wonder what the true motivation was.

The second part of this text indicates “Jacob’s sons came upon the slain”. Given the sentence structure, since Simeon and Levi had done the actual slaying, this likely refers to the rest of Jacob’s sons. Being only half-brothers, they felt they could avenge their half-sister’s defiling by only looting, rather than killing. And loot they did, taking everything in sight, including the Shechemites’ children and wives. All the wealth that belonged to the Shechemites was now uncontested in the hands of Jacob’s family. It seems Jacob continues, one way or another, to have his good fortune increase.

One of the amazing things about the Bible is that it certainly was not written from a political point of view. The descendents of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob pulled no punches and made no effort to remove from its pages any accounts that depicted their forefathers in a bad light. In fact, it is including those dark and stark truths about the history of the chosen people that validates its God-given inspiration, for men do not speak so negatively about their own doings.

What had seemed like a great arrangement, and a deal the Shechemites could not refuse, ended up in total disaster and ruin for them. Greed is never a sound basis on which to enter any transaction, let alone one that is as foolish as this one. But the Shechemites were not the only losers in this whole episode. Jacob had lost much as well.

You will remember that in Genesis 31:13 God instructed Jacob to return to his home in the region of Bethel. Instead Jacob went to reside near Shechem. And there, his family suffered the dishonor that they did. It seems that when we do not follow God’s instructions, we stand the risk of consequences. When we alone choose where we go, we seldom do as good a job as God. And as we see in Jacob’s case, choosing the wrong place can expose us and our family to things that God would rather have had us avoid. Jacob also left his young daughter Dinah without proper supervision as she headed towards the ungodly town of Shechem to check it out. So ungodly were these men that, once Shechem raped Dinah, it never occurred to him or his father to say ‘sorry’. Instead, they wanted her to be given to Shechem as just another one of his wives.

As parents we need to learn what are the important aspects of our children’s lives that we need to keep our eyes on. Certainly venturing into the big city for the first time may well be one of those aspects. What may appear like a great adventure in life’s journey can often end up in an incredible setback if the station stop was not part of God’s planned itinerary for us or our children.

Join others following Ken on Twitter
Check-out AccordConsulting, SCA International, and Human Resources for the Church.

It would be great if you would share your thoughts or questions on this blog in the comments section below or on social media.